How has Carlos Hyde been this season? Well, it depends on who you ask.
Those giving the young running back a positive review would point to his 4.1 yards per carry despite playing behind one of the weakest offensive lines in football, and his 49 receptions, the fifth most amongst NFL running backs.
Those in the other camp would point to the fact that Hyde is currently ranked as the 54th (out of 59) most effective running back in the league according to Pro Football Focus, and that his complete inability to pass block (he’s ranked dead last in that category) has put 49ers quarterbacks in further peril.
49ers beat writer Matt Maiocco admitted on KNBR Tuesday that Hyde, who is a free agent this offseason, has been a “mixed bag” in 2017, but still believes that he has shown enough promise to convince the 49ers to re-sign him at the right price.
“If you had asked me this question a month and a half ago, two months ago I would’ve said no,” Maiocco said regarding bringing Hyde back next year. “If you had asked me this after the draft, absolutely not. It takes two to tango. He’s going to hit free agency I would assume, or at least before that he’ll have a pretty good idea what’s out there. I think he’s put himself in a position where he’s in the minds of the 49ers to ‘let’s see what it’s going to take to keep him.’ I think they can do a lot worse than bringing him back.
“If you can spend a little bit of money and keep around a guy you know, I think that’s a win-win. And I’m not sold on (fourth-round pick) Joe Williams. When they drafted Joe Williams I thought this is the guy, but he really didn’t show me much during training camp before this “injury” that sidelined him for the year.
Many assumed Williams would beat out Hyde for the starting running back job during training camp, and the idea of Hyde even making the team was far from a sure thing. Maiocco believes that this helped motive Hyde in a way he hadn’t seen before.
“During the offseason, Bobby Turner the running backs coach, longtime runnings backs coach, been an NFL assistant for over 20 years, he walked into one of the meeting rooms,” Maiocco began. “He says ‘oh by the way Carlos Hyde is not our starting running back, there is no starting running back right now.’ He mentioned Carlos Hyde by name.
“When the rest of the team went away between the offseason program and the start of training camp, Carlos Hyde stayed in Santa Clara and went to the facility everyday, ate a good meal at the cafeteria, watched film, worked out, and has been a different guy.
“Now the results, it’s been kind’ve a mixed bag, but when you look at how bad this offense has been, and how little help the playmakers have had, and the fact that Brian Hoyer was a huge disappointment not being able to give the 49ers a competent passing game that could help a running back. When you take all those things into consideration this being the first year of this system, I think it makes all the sense in the world, at the right price, for Carlos Hyde to be re-signed.”
Listen to Maiocco’s comments below.